West Bay, Bridport

West Dorset, UK

West Dorset

What's on in and around West Dorset

May 2015

Information supplied courtesy of West Dorset District Council & West Dorset Tourist Centres

This listing contains a selection of events taking place across West Dorset this month

Pop into your local Tourist Information Centre for full event information and programmes for all local theatres and art centres

Local Events Diary

01 Wessex Morris Men May Day dancing above Cerne Abbas Giant (DT2 7LA) at 5:15am, in Cerne Village Square (DT2 7JG) at 7:30am, and on the Abbey steps in Sherborne (DT9 3LQ) at 10:30am. (www.wessexmorrismen.co.uk)

02 Wessex Military Band Bucky Doo Square, Bridport Town Centre. 10am. Live music for shoppers’ enjoyment. 01308 456722

02 Tiger Day The Tank Museum, Bovington Nr Wool, BH20 6JG. Open from 10am. Your first chance to see Tiger 131 in action (1:30pm) after its starring role in the Hollywood Blockbuster FURY. For info & to book: 01929 405096 (www.tankmuseum.org)

03 May Day Fete Anning Road Recreational Ground, Lyme Regis. 2pm. Stalls from local organisations with entertainment from the young people of Lyme. All local organisations are invited to have a stall. 01297 442220 (email: info@lymeregiscarnival.co.uk)

04 Bank Holiday Special Sherborne Town Walk From outside Sherborne TIC, Digby Rd. 11am. 1½-2 hrs with Blue Badge Guide Cindy. Take a leisurely stroll and find out everything you ever wanted to know about this beautiful historic town. £5

04 Dorchester & District U3A present Life As a Bevin Boy The Parish Centre, Culliford Road North, Dorchester, DT1 1QG. 10am for coffee for 10:30am start until 12noon. Warwick Taylor talks about work down the mines during 1943-48.

04 Gartell Light Railway Open Day Common Lane, Yenston, Templecombe, BA8 0NB. Trains in steam with rides from 10:30am-4:30pm. Enjoy a day out at this lovely restored railway. 01963 370752 (www.glr-online.co.uk)

04 May Day Duck Race 12 noon from Windsor Terrace (bottom of Woodmead Road). Watch the ducks race down the River Lym raising money for the Lyme Regis Christmas Lights Further information: Lyme Regis Carnival.

05, 19 Memory Café Memory Café, Woodmead Halls, Hill Road, Lyme Regis. 10:30am-12noon. A chance for people with dementia to come and join with others for a chat, activities and coffee and cake. Activities include craft, games, quizzes, music and reminiscence. Run by Alzheimer’s Society, alternate Tuesdays. 01305 259740

05 A Time for Peace Borough Gardens, Dorchester. Noon. (www.dorchester-tc.gov.uk)

05 Monthly Wine Dinner Summer Lodge Country House Hotel, Restaurant & Spa, Evershot, DT2 0JR. 7pm with aperitifs and an introduction to the wines. Dinner is served from 7:30pm.Co-hosted by our cellar-master Eric Zwiebel and Torres Wines, from Chile. £105 per person for four-course Dinner with five wines . 01935 482031 (www.summerlodgehotel.com)

06,13,23,27,30 Music in Bucky Doo Bucky Doo Square, South St, Bridport. 10am til midday. Live music for the entertainment of shoppers on Bridport Market Days. 01308 456722

06 The Remarkable collections of Isaac and Moïse de Camondo; From Constantinople to the Parc Monceau Digby Hall, Hound St, Sherborne. Deborah Lambert tells a story of high society, patronage and tragedy. http://sherborne-dfas.org.uk)

07-20 'Both Sides of The Hill' Exhibition Town Mill, Lyme Regis. 10:30am-4:30pm, every day, free admission.Two like-minded but contrasting artists, Elizabeth Fortescue & John Calder, bring their separate styles of work together to share their joy in the Dorset landscape as seen from ‘both sides of the hill.’ http://www.townmillartsguild.com/both-sides-of-hill/)

08 Paul Atterbury - Antiques Roadshow Stories and Lots More Brownsword Hall, Poundbury. 7pm for 7:30pm. Looking back at his life and work with the Antiques Roadshow. Tickets in advance £5 (cash or cheque only) from Rivoli Pummery Square, The Garden Centre or on the web. £6 on the door. Licensed bar. (www.brownswordevents.org.uk)

08 AGM and Election of Officers; Judging of the Dave King Cup & Lyme 1200 Trophy competitions; End Of Season Awards and social evening. Woodmead Halls, Lyme Regis 7:30pm. 01297 444733 http://lymebayphotographicclub.org)

08-10 Bridport Ropewalk Fayre Town Hall & Millenium Green, Bridport. Celebrating the ropemaking heritage of Bridport there will be lots of fun-filled activities taking place over the weekend. Full details on the web and at Bridport Tourist Information Centre. 01308 458703 (www.ropewalkfair.co.uk)

09-10 Open Garden Days at The Friary The Friary, Hilfield, Dorchester, DT2 7BE. Come and view Br Vincent's collection of rhododendrons and magnolias which give praise to God. 01300 341741 (www.hilfieldfriary.org.uk)

09-10 MillFest at The Town Mill The Town Mill, Lyme Regis. Open 11am-4pm. Lyme Regis’s Town Mill quarter will be hosting a festival of family fun, milling, music, art, food and drink in what has become the town’s creative heart. (www.townmill.org.uk)

10 Animal Festival Kingston Maurward Animal Park & Gardens, Dorchester, DT2 8PY. 10am-4pm. Come and meet some of our animals and learn more about them. A fun day out for all the family. (www.kmc.ac.uk)

10 Bluebell Walk & Teas Chedington Village Hall (DT8 3JA). 2pm-5pm. Bluebell Walks, Teas, Open Gardens and Plants in this beautiful conservation village. In aid of the village hall.

10 RNLI Blessing of the Boats at the Lifeboat Station The Cobb, Lyme Regis. 3pm. Traditional family service where the Wreaths are blessed and taken out to sea by the lifeboat where they are laid to commemorate those lost at sea. All welcome.

12 Rotary Charity Golf Day Lyme Regis Golf Club. An annual event held at the Lyme Regis Golf Club and organized in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Axminster. For further information contact (email: secretary@lymeregisrotary.org)

12 Coach trip to Hestercombe nr Taunton Uplyme Village Hall. 9:45am. 50 acre garden with a Georgian landscape garden with temples, lakes and cascades, a Victorian terrace and shrubbery and a stunning Edwardian garden designed by Lutyens and Jekyll. Cost £16 total for coach & admission. Please ring Robin Britton 01297 442794 to book by May 5th.

13 Belmont – The Work Beneath the Sheeting Woodmead Hall, Lyme Regis. U3A talk: 10am coffee, 11am about the house that has been taken over, renovated and restored by the Landmark Trust. (www.woodmeadhalls.co.uk) 07802 751828

13 Dorset: The Last 250 Years... and the next five The Grange Hotel, Oborne, Nr Sherborne. 7pm-10pm. A stimulating illustrated talk by Wolfgang Grulke exploring 250 million years of geological history. 01935 816494

15 Milborne Movies present What We Did On Our Holiday 12A Milborne St Andrew Village Hall, DT11 0JX. 7pm for 7:30pm start. An oddball comedy from the writer-director team bhind the hit TV comedy Outnumbered. Tickets £3 on the door.

15-17 Hope for Creation The Friary, Hilfield, Dorchester, DT2 7BE. The role of communities in sustaining nature, led by Sir Ghillean Prance and Andy Lester. 01300 341741 (www.hilfieldfriary.org.uk)

16-17 Spring Tide Food Festival Hive Beach, Burton Bradstock. 10am-4pm, both days. More than 50 stalls selling the very best of local food, drink and countryside crafts. Further information at (www.spring-tide.org.uk) or 01297 489481

19 English National Opera: The Pirates of Penzance (Live) Regent Cinema, Lyme Regis. 7:15pm. Guaranteed to be a major event, Mike Leigh (Palme d’Or winner & five times Oscar nominee) directs his first ever opera for the stage. 01297 442053

20 Sherborne W.I.: Neal’s Yard Remedies Catholic Church Hall, Westbury, Sherborne. 2:30pm. Talk by Loretta Lupi-Lawrence. New members and visitors always welcome at a cost of £3 to include refreshments.

22 Literary Talk: Stolen Images - Pagan Symbolism and Christianity Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, DT1 1XA. 7pm for 7:30pm. By Peter Knight, who will be selling and signing his book on the night. Free. 01305 756827

23 Be a Chorister for a Day Sherborne Abbey. 2:30pm- 5:45pm. Open to any boys aged 7 and above who enjoy singing, and their parents or guardians. For mor information and to book: http://sherborneabbey.com) 01935 812452

23 Heritage Alliance Open Day Somerset & Dorset Family History Society, Parade, Sherborne. 10:30am-4pm. Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and its impact upon Sherborne. 01935 389611 (email: sdfhs@btconnect.com)

23/05-03/06 Lyme Regis Art Society Annual Exhibition 10:30am-4:30pm. Showing some of the innovative techniques picked up from the Society’s winter programme of demonstrations and workshops led by visiting artists. (www.townmillartsguild.com)

23-31 Dorset Wild Flower Week Discover some of Dorset's most spectacular sites for wild flowers with a special programme of guided walks. See the website under Dorset Flora Group for more information. (www.derc.org.uk) (email: derc@dorsetcc.gov.uk)

25 Bank Holiday Special Sherborne Town Walk From outside Sherborne TIC, Digby Rd. 11am, 1½-2 hrs with Blue Badge Guide Cindy. Take a leisurely stroll and find out everything you ever wanted to know about this beautiful historic town. £5

25 The Broadchurch Experience West Bay, Bridport. 11am. EXCLUSIVE: The Ultimate Broadchurch exclusive tour, for a limited number of fans featuring: Day long experience of Broadchurch locations with the insider knowledge, visiting some the places and landmarks used in West Bay, with guides who know all the secrets of the show. Includes regular breaks. Bring a packed lunch. From £15 per person. 07763 974569 (www.literarylyme.co.uk/broadchurchtours.html)

27 Family Activity Morning: Become an Archaeologist's Illustrator Dorset County Museum, High West St, Dorchester, DT1 1XA. 10:30am-12:30pm. Adults should remain with their children at all times. Two children per adult. Free. 01305 756827

27 Talk 'The Social Year of the Honeybee' Uplyme Village Hall. 7:30pm. By Colin Osborne, Beekeeper. Afterwards there will be a short quiz, the winner taking a prize jar of Uplyme honey. Members free, Non Members welcome for extra £3.

28 Hardy and the New Sciences Dorset County Museum, High West St, Dorchester, DT1 1XA. 7pm for 7:30pm. Lecture by Prof.Angelique Richardson. Organised in co-operation with the NT, University of Exeter & DNHAS. Free. 01305 756827

28 West Dorset Humanists meeting: What do protesters have in common? Wessex Royale Hotel, 32 High West Street, Dorchester. 7:30pm. Dr Heather Meacock, will speak about “Protest: Religious and Secular”. £3. 07810 360700

29 Of Living Valour – The Story of the Soldiers of Waterloo Digby Hall, Hound St, Sherborne. 6:15pm for 7pm. Talk by General Sir Barney White-Spunner. Tickets £13 from Sherborne TIC and Winstone’s Bookshop, CheapSt, Sherborne.

29 Selwyn Williams - Treasure of the Golden Grape Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, DT1 1XA. 7pm for 7:30pm. Local author talk. A tale of a treasure ship wrecked on Chesil Beach in 1645. Tea / coffee available. Dorchester Association for History and Archaeology. Non-members welcome. (www.dorchester-association.org.uk)

29-31 2015 Jazz and Blues Festival Various venues around Lyme Regis. Live jazz and blues to suit your taste in one of the country's best coastal settings. For tickets or information on individual events including the Jazz Matinee, Jazz Brunch, Dr Feelgood and more, please visit Lyme Regis TIC or ring 01297 442138 or visit the website: (www.marinetheatre.com)

30 Coffee Morning Bridport United Church Hall, East St. 10am to 12noon. Organised by West Dorset Music Community Orchestra. Cakes, books, bric-a-brac & raffle. Good Books, Uparo, the Living Tree & WAWA. Live music during the morning.

30 B Sharp Busking Festival Various venues around Lyme Regis. 11am –6pm. A wonderful opportunity for local young people to show off their talent and raise valuable funds for B Sharp. (email: franwilliams@bsharp.uk.com)

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in
this leaflet is correct at the time of going to print, West Dorset District
Council cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions. Inclusion
does not imply any recommendation by West Dorset District Council.
Produced by West Dorset District Council, Community Enabling Division. (www.dorsetforyou.com) | (www.visit-dorset.com)